Travers week, “Double Day Spectacular”

Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus shows off the special Travers 2010 mardi gras beads that will be handed out to adults.

Attention. This week’s Travers Festival will culminate in back-to-back blockbuster events: The Travers Stakes and Rachel Alexandra’s return to Saratoga.

The New York Racing Association Monday announced a series of special events and activities for the “Double Day Spectacular” of racing at the Spa this weekend, which features the Grade 1, $1 million Travers Stakes on Saturday, and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra’s return in the Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign Stakes on Sunday.

The city of Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce introduced the week-long celebration and some special fan initiatives this year Monday at the track, which promises to be sunny this weekend, if you believe the weather reports.

There will be all-new Travers Eve party downtown Saratoga; a Travers 1864 Restaurant week; and a special “double” wager that will give fans the opportunity to select the winner of the Travers Stakes on Saturday and the Personal Ensign Stakes on Sunday. The Travers-Personal Ensign Double is the first wager offered over a period of two days at Saratoga in recent memory.

“We’re gearing up for a weekend unlike any other in recent memory at Saratoga,” NYRA President & CEO Charlie Hayward said.

Through Thursday, nearly 40 area restaurants and eateries will offer a special three-course meal at the prix-fixe cost of $18.64, the year of the inaugural running of the Travers, the oldest major stakes race in the country for 3-year-olds. For a complete list of participating restaurants and to view the prix-fixe menus, please visit http://www.nyra.com/Saratoga/RestaurantWeek.shtml.

The inaugural Travers Eve Party, hosted by NYRA and the chamber, will take place Friday. Leading jockeys will conduct autograph sessions in the parking lot of the Saratoga Downtowner motel from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and there will be live music and entertainment until 10 p.m. The party will be modeled, in part, after the “Hats off to Saratoga” and “Final Stretch” festivals.

On Travers Day, NYRA will offer a special wager that will allow fans the opportunity to select the winner of both the Travers and the Personal Ensign.

On Sunday, Rachel Alexandra will be challenged by Life at Ten, who comes into the Personal Ensign riding a six-race winning streak. All fans Sunday will receive a free Rachel Alexandra button.

Rachel followers will also have a chance to win a pair of reserved grandstand seats to see her run on Sunday by sharing their own Rachel story on the TU’s popular thoroughbred racing blog “Talking Horses.” Fans can enter to win by sharing their favorite Rachel memory at www.timesunion.com/horseracing/contest-rachel-returns-to-saratoga/5529/. Entries must be received by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25.

Preceding the Double Day Spectacular will be the 15th annual Travers Festival which will feature a number of new events and activities:

– Stewart’s Shops Ice Cream Eating Contest: The chilly competition returns for another year, giving fans of all ages the chance to chow down for the prize of gift certificates for free Stewart’s Shops ice cream on Wednesday. Registration for the kid, teen, or adult categories begins at noon in front of the Jockey Silks Room.

– San Gennaro Day: Track patrons will be invited to celebrate their Italian heritage as Saratoga reprises the famous Italian outdoor street festival on Thursday. Traditional Italian food, music, folk dance and bocce ball demonstrations will mark the featured activities at this first time event.

– Ronald McDonald House Fashion Show: Start the day at Saratoga Race Course with a fashion show and luncheon presented by Saratoga Trunk to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region on Thursday. Held in the “At the Rail Pavilion,” the luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. and is sponsored, in part, by Northeastern Fine Jewelry.

– 10th annual Travers Celebration: As dusk settles over Saratoga Race Course on Thursday, the annual gala held “At the Rail” will return to honor 2009 Travers Stakes winner Summer Bird and his winning connections: owners Drs. Kalarikkal K. & Vilasini D. Jayaraman, trainer Tim Ice and jockey Kent Desormeaux. With approximately $100,000 raised each year during the event, the Travers Celebration expects to celebrate its 10th anniversary by reaching the milestone donation total of $1 million for the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.), the Double H Ranch and other prominent local charities. Northeastern Fine Jewelry, the official jeweler of this year’s Travers Celebration, will feature a collection of signature pieces from top Hollywood bridal and fashion jewelry designer Simon G.

· 13th annual Battle of the Brews: The backyard will play host to the area’s best brews as adults enjoy the ultimate in beer tasting on Friday. The festival will feature nearly 20 of the area’s best micro-breweries with proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross Adirondack Saratoga Chapter.

Dennis Yusko

3 Responses

This will be another forgettable Travers, and the Personal Ensign will be a letdown compared to the excitement of last years Woodward. Now if Zenyatta was flying in, then we’d be looking at the most anticipated race in the last few decades, but alas…

I don’t go to the track but this looks like a good place to ask a question I’ve been wondering about.I’m going to assume for a minute that horses don’t mind running in the Aug heat of say 80 degrees–is there an upper limit where the track cancels a race or a day because it’s just too hot and humid?